Gregor and I were sweating inside the van, hiding from the nasty swarms of mosquitos at our campsite. It had rained the night before, and the midday heat brought out a fresh crop of the biting devils. The breeze from our little 12-volt fan was not particularly refreshing – it was just pushing hot air around. Lucky was basically a giant convection oven, roasting two traveling chickens basting in their own sweat. The hungry mosquitos outside were waiting for their lunch.
We wrote these instructions for the benefit of other overlanders entering Belize via Chetumal, Mexico. This crossing was very smooth and easy to navigate, largely due to the English-speaking staff at the border.
The shower shack at Laguna Azul campground on Lake Bacalar, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Hi, my name is Janice, and I’m addicted to showers. I know that I have a problem because my memories of our last three weeks in Mexico don’t revolve around the country’s history, food, culture, or biodiversity. They revolve around showering.
It’s quite disconcerting, really. Gregor and I drove through Chiapas and the Yucatan peninsula – a region full of ancient Mayan ruins, interesting colonial history, and jungles teaming with exotic wildlife. Yet what I remember most about the journey are events related to bathing.
This is the story of seven showers.
(Click on the links to read Oaxaca Part 1 and Part 2.)
Calvin is an engineering wizard. He has the creativity and know-how to repair, build, and re-build absolutely anything – particularly when it comes to vehicles. We discovered Calvin’s talent while we watched him help other campers at Overlander Oasis to fix and revamp their rigs. So we asked him to provide Lucky with a few upgrades…
Project 1: Build a metal rear-rack cover to replace our homemade plywood one, which was disintegrating from excessive sun and warping from ever-changing humidity conditions. Calvin welded together a sturdy aluminum cover in half a day.
Festive streets in Mitla, Oaxaca
(Haven’t read Oaxaca Part 1 yet? Click here.)
After two weeks recovering from the flu, we were finally well enough to hit the road again. We drove a loop from El Tule to the Pacific Coast beaches and back (we had to return to Overlander Oasis to install a Propex propane heater that was being shipped to the campground). We had a great time travelling through Oaxaca state.